In the event of an emergency incident in which an area is subjected to hazardous chemicals, biological agents, or radiation, emergency services must be made rapidly available to persons in the affected area.
Emergency services personnel, also referred to as first responders, will enter the area and be exposed to the hazardous chemicals, biological agents, or radiation. To protect the safety of the first responders, it is important to minimize their exposure to the hazardous chemicals, biological agents, or radiation. With respect to exposure to radiation, since adverse effects do not appear immediately, first responders may not be aware of excessive exposure when providing emergency services.
However, in preparedness drills and plans for disaster management, there has been little teaching directed toward situations in which first responders would be instructed not to enter an area, or to enter only when carrying specific detection devices. In the absence of such risk management for first responders, well meaning and heroic people will undoubtedly sustain exposure to higher levels of toxins or radiation than that which can be managed safely in a first responder's scenario.
Thus a need exists for an emergency management system that can be used to minimize the exposure of first responders to hazardous chemicals, biological agents, or radiation.